XXL Freshman 2011 Freestyle: Mac Miller

On Being a 2011 XXL Freshman: “[Getting labeled an XXL Freshman] is, like, a dream come true. But [at the same time] it’s definitely the start of the next step, because it’s, like, you’ve worked to get to this point, and then you get there, now it’s time to really go—all eyes are on me. [Now it’s time to] just not slow down and not get comfortable. I feel like one thing that has brought me to where I am now is my work ethic, so if I pick up the work, instead of slow it down, then I’ll be fine. It’s crazy, and it’s wild to me that I’m here, and that I’m comfortable being here. You would think, back in the day, like, I’d be nervous and sitting in the corner, but no, man, I’m comfortable, and it’s great to be having fun doing this, and not feel like you’ve gotta look cool.

[The XXL Freshmen shoot] was crazy. It was a lot cooler than I expected. I expected to go there and be super nervous the whole time and be worried about stuff. I expected everybody to be doing their own thing and [to] not really [be] cool with each other, but everybody was really cool. It was a great experience, everyone was real nice, and it was fun. It wasn’t until after I left that I was like, ‘Damn that was just the XXL Freshmen cover shoot.’ That’s something I’ve strived for since [I] started doing it and it’s crazy that I’m actually on it.